AN - I stayed up late on a work night because I promised - THIS CHAPTER HAS HAD A RE-WRITE SINCE PUBLISHING 7/6 Loyally yours, -M
Several more days of absence had passed. Not long after Kylo had stormed out, Hux and an escort of two junior officers arrived to inform her that she would soon be provided her own quarters. Now that many of the troops that had used the Finalizer as an evacuation point had been spread amongst the fleet space was freeing up and the ship becoming less chaotic.
"There is a small training room and gym down the hall that is available for your use, these men have been made available as your escorts." She eyed Hux suspiciously; this was more freedom than she was normally given. The circumstances, however, were less than normal and she was still a precious commodity. In all of the hysteria and confusion of the past days her comfort had appropriately not been Hux's first priority.
Neera had decided to take full advantage of the space offered to her along with the more lax supervision, and fulfil her need for some kind of outlet for her energy. Strengthening her skills at hand to hand combat wouldn't hurt either. She was sure the officers had been instructed to interact with her as little as possible but she made quick work of their resistance, swore/persuaded them to secrecy, and insisted they assist her in the gymnasium. Despite their cooperation she was unable to pull full sentences from them, much less an actual conversation.
The training room was large and bright, mats lined the floor and sparring equipment hung on the walls along with additional padding and a simulation panel. She wore a very fitted sleeveless tunic, having been careful to wear her cloak over the revealing garment during her trip down the hall, lest anyone beyond her new private escorts see the Oracle being less than modest. The two officers were dressed in similar black tunics used for training. The one called Roux stood by the door his hands clasped behind his back, he was unspeakably tall and broad, his dark skin and marbled brown eyes were striking and intimidating. The other officer, Thal, stood barefoot before her, his deeply tanned arms tense and ready to respond to an attack. His eyes were pale green like the vein of an ivy leaf beneath his dark brows. She shifted her weight as she watched him carefully, her stony grey eyes locked with his, she preferred Thal over Roux as a sparring partner, he looked her in the eye and she felt he used more of his full strength when they fought, he didn't let her win. His moderately smaller stature was also less frightening than Roux's mountainous frame and stoic expression. She smirked and lurched at Thal, leaping at him, he barely had time to brace himself as her legs wrapped around his middle. She knocked the breath out of him twisting her body and throwing her weight to flip him onto the mats landing on his chest. He groaned, but was still able to retaliate; wrapping his arms behind her hips and launching her over his head she rolled into a kneeling position as she landed. He sprung up and turned in time to catch her wrist within a breath of making contact with his throat. She smirked and pulled her hand back and walked to the edge of the room picking up a towel, pressing it to her face.
"You have improved." Thal said curtly, barely hiding a small smile of his own, one hand rubbing his lower back as he shrugged on a long sleeved tunic top. Neera glanced over at him, and nodded her breathing beginning to return to normal. She watched him walk to the edge of the room imaging how much better she would be if she used her abilities to anticipate his movements. She was working towards a fair fight, invading the officers less capable mind wouldn't improve her other skills against a more formidable opponent.
"You can both wait outside." She muttered turning to the back of the room towards the simulation panel. She pressed a few buttons and the room dimmed as the two men exited to stand in the hall. She heard the door slide shut behind them and the room darkened so that only vague shapes were decipherable. She took a blindfold from a rest on the console and tied it securely over her eyes. She took her place at the center of the room and inhaled deeply as a mechanical hum swelled. A ghosting pain shot like a shock down her arm along the scar that ran from her wrist to her shoulder. The deafening screams and the noxious scent of gas and smoke subsided as she exhaled, the high pitch of a blaster broke the relative silence and she dove forward, tumbling nimbly away, landing lightly in a catlike crouch. Another blaster shot at her head nearly grazing her ear as she twisted away. Several more blaster shots fired in quick succession and she flipped backwards in some highly acrobatic leaps landing near the back of the room facing the wall.
She heard door slide open and shut as someone entered the room. Doing her best to ignore the new presence she dodged another quick succession of blasts aimed at her feet dashing back towards the center of the room, dipping from the last shot fired at her abdomen nearly losing her balance. She heard the rustle of fabric as a cloak fell to the floor near the console. She paused and heard the blaster fire again, she spun away but wasn't fast enough. The blaster grazed her hip, burning through the fabric and searing her skin, she stumbled her landing her hand instinctively gripping her side then springing back realizing the pain it caused. She heard him tap a few buttons on the console and the mechanical hum of the blasters subsided. The thud of his shoes and the rustle of more fabric was clear in the now silent room.
She listened as he approached slowly, predatory. She could feel the tenseness of his body, his eyes on her in the dark room as he came towards her in a slow spiral pressing into the space. She flexed her fingers as he drew near, ready to react. Instead his voice broke the silence.
"Why aren't you using your abilities?" He was standing behind her, she didn't move, didn't so much as cock her head at him, focusing on the few sounds he made as he moved.
"Don't you think I'm capable without them?" She questioned in return, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Against some opponents, yes." He mused, he was moving around, now standing several feet to her left.
"But not you?" She asked, encouraged by his relative levity.
"Definitely not." He was almost in front of her and she swore he was smiling too. Her heightened senses felt the slight rush of air against her skin as his body moved towards her. She leapt back but he caught her by the waist. Her legs kicked up off the ground in a swift powerful motion, spinning his out of arms, head over heels, and landing lightly on the floor just behind him. Her arms flung around his neck and she hurled her body up and around using her weight to throw him off balance and try to bring him to his knees. He stumbled but caught her arm as she moved, changing her trajectory, she instinctively clung tighter, swinging around him. He grabbed her leg, attempting to pin her as her body made flush contact with his chest. Her other leg wrapped around his middle and she threw her weight forward to push him down. She felt the twist of his abdomen and the grip of his arms as he turned in the fall, unable to stop him from pinning her to the floor with the weight of his body. The air was knocked from her lungs but his hand cradled her head.
She could feel his breath against her lips; a lock of his hair brushed her cheek. He watched her lips part as his hand skimmed from her thigh to rest at her waist. He felt her thoughts for a brief moment, - - her hands running along his bare arms; her cheek pressed against his neck her chin resting on his shoulder. - - Her skin flushed at the slip in her own defenses then his mind pressed harder against hers and she slipped again. - - The hands that gripped her flesh were forceful, violent and not his own. A young uniformed officer pressed a teenage girl against a wall, his face buried in her hair, his nails digging into her wrists - - She the felt the tensing and release of his muscles before he untangled his body from hers and stood, pulling her up with him by the hand.
"I was right." He said tersely. She could hear the unevenness of his breathing; feel the tenseness in his hand as he took the unnecessary step of ensuring her balance before moving to release her. The rage that he felt at the last vision consumed the hope he had felt when began to open her mind to him. Her hand started to reach out to him but she paused just short of reaching his chest, the air around him almost vibrating with anger. Her fingers rested lightly on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat. She reached slowly towards his face with her other hand, still blinded by the cloth over her eyes. Her palm conformed to the curve of his face. She could feel his heart beat slow down, a steady normal rhythm returning.
"I told you I was capable without my gifts." She said gently feeling his chest rise and fall in a resigned sigh, though still not letting go of the image that had slipped from her consciousness.
He was silent for a moment and she could feel a shift in the air, she could almost feel his gaze moving over her body in the near darkness, first to the fresh burn on her hip then to the long scar that ran along her arm. He stepped closer once more and she turned her palm out as he reached for her hand. He took it, his fingers pressing into her palm as he brought it to his lips kissing the soft flesh at the base of her thumb.
"Let me in" he murmured against her skin, His other hand ghosted over the scar starting at her wrist and slowly winding his way up her arm before stopping at her shoulder sliding behind her shoulder where the scar widened into a larger star shaped mark. She shivered as his hand fell back to his side and he released her hand, leaving her blind and without contact, she reached out taking his hand in hers, releasing the breath she had been holding.
A small girl, no older than five or six, ran barefooted through a moss carpeted clearing, ancient trees laden with heavily leafed vines and gnarled bark stood all around her as she bound over the roots. Sunlight peeked through the few gaps in the tree making a mottled pattern on the forest floor. The girl tripped and rolled, giggling into a bouncy patch of moss and grass beneath a particularly large tree. A boy, not much older than her dark haired woman carrying a small child came into view through the trees.
"Neera! You're too fast!" the boy collapsed next to her, his pale grey eyes and dark hair matched hers. The woman leaned into one hip bouncing the dark haired child further up into her grasp.
"Come darling," The woman reached out a hand, her smile broad and warm "Let's go home."
The image turned dark and the figures faded, the patchy sunlight was replaced with darkness, smoke rolled into the scene and Kylo Ren recognized the image of the injured girl faced by approaching officers of the First Order.
Another hand reached out to the girl, her arm now soaked in blood, her breathing labored. The pale auburn haired young man gripped her forearm pulling her up by her injured limb and hoisting her into his arms as she passed out from the pain. He cradled her against his body as he stepped over her mother's body, passing by the burning buildings as the group boarded the ship.
He could feel her mind dig into his to share the images, like the sharp claws of a bird of prey gripping into his flesh for sure purchase. Each image was more painful than the last as it entered his thoughts. He looked down at her, his hand reaching up to the blindfold that shielded her from his direct gaze. He ran his fingertips along her cheek slipping under the fabric of the blindfold at her temples, slipping it up and over her forehead. He caught more images as he did –
A woman's arms wrapped tightly around the small girl - - a young Neera lay crumpled in a tense writhing pile before the Supreme Leader, a single shrieking cry resounding in the large room - - A young wide eyed teen watched battle-ravaged Kylo Ren return from a raid, her cautious and careful gaze catching every movement and each source of hidden pain - - A small girl held a small new baby as the two were cradled in the lap of a tall man with deeply tanned skin and pale grey eyes.
"That's enough." He said firmly, resting his hands on either side of her face. He was left somewhat reeling from the ordeal, his bones felt like ice that had somehow been set on fire. She looked up at him her pale grey eyes luminous in the dim light.
"Yes it is." She said quietly, her breathing was quick and shallow and she looked equally worn. She watched him for a moment then looked down. "I'm tired," she said and stepped back out of his reach, scooping a pile of fabric from the floor, draping her cloak over her shoulders and heading towards the door, ignoring the darkness of the room. He didn't move to follow her, watching her as she passed into the brightly lit hall.